An RTI activist has complained to the Lokayukta about “financial misappropriation” in the construction of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi.

Bhimappa Gundappa Gadada claimed the contractor, B G Shirke Construction Technologies Pvt Ltd, was paid Rs 36.73 crore more than the Rs 232 crore mentioned in the tender. Based on his complaint, the government had formed a committee to probe whether the cost of construction was deliberately escalated without any evaluation.

The complainant said the tender rules mentioned the officials must make sure the cost of construction didn’t escalate. “The construction should have been completed by January 2011. The tender included payment to labourers for working overtime. The deadline was extended thrice and the cost of construction went up by 60 pc. The PWD has been silent on the committee’s enquiry report,” he said, adding that chief secretary and the PWD principal secretary failed to act on his complaint.

The complaint, (case number lok/bcd/550/2015), has been assigned to Assistant Registrar (Enquiry)-1 for an investigation.